


Sole Survivors

by Moooses



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Both Sole Survivors Live, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Misunderstandings, Polyamory, Timeskips, everyone is a mess, if you like white suburban moms fighting at pta meetings this is pretty close, vague spoilers for game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14455971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moooses/pseuds/Moooses
Summary: Nate and Nora both survive Vault 111.But not Nate and Nora, happily married couple with a bouncing baby boy. But Nate and Nora, neighbors who have hated each other's guts since Nora and her family moved in.





	Sole Survivors

**Author's Note:**

> thank you slxightofhand for beta'ing for me, i'm a mess
> 
> I wrote this in three days, and it's literally the most I've ever written at once, but I'm really proud of it so take it

Nora Scott stumbles out of the cryo pod, then goes over and yanks on the lever to open her husband's, trying to get to him before it even opens. She promises him she'll save their son as she cries, as she pulls his ring off his finger with the utmost care. His finger is so cold it feels like it'll break into pieces. Steadying her breath, she finally hears the banging noise. Someone else is alive.

She doesn't look at _who_ it is until he's falling out of the pod and she catches him. Then immediately drops him. Nate Howard.

“ _You?_ ” The disuse of her voice adds to her accusing tone.

Nate gasps, then coughs. “Me?” Then he looks at her. “ _You._ ”

•••

“Well, _Codsworth_ , if you're still going, Mackrel must be. Where is he?” Nate interrupts their reunion to ask, and the way he says Codsworth's name reminds Nora of the time Nate asked if Codsworth was a cheaper model, “since your moderate hedges suddenly look less than B grade.”

And sure, maybe those petty arguments should be ignored now that the world is over and all that's left from it is them, but Nora still laughs when Codsworth sadly points out a robotic limb sticking out of the ruins of Nate's house.

•••

Dogmeat greets them both eagerly, and if it weren't for those puppy dog eyes, she'd be bitter about how he went to Nate first.

•••

“Dibs on the power armor!” Nate says the second after Preston tells them there's a set, but Nora's already up the stairs.

She doesn't leave the armor til the fusion core dies.

•••

“We owe you our lives.” Preston says once he and the settlers he helped save are back in Sanctuary, as Nate helps Sturges haul clean beds from the vault. Nora would've helped, but...Nate didn't leave a spouse in there.

“I would've done it for anyone,” she says, still thinking about painting 'Nora's’ in paint across the power armor torso.

“Still, if there's anything we can do to repay you...”

An idea strikes her as Nate and the others leave her house, where they'll be staying. “As any proper host would open their house to friends,” she had said to them, feeling Nate rage behind her.

“Two things,” she holds up two fingers. “First, I need to find my son, I'll explain more. Second, keep Nate with you.”

•••

“What do you think is going on there?” Nate asks. Nate, who had not stayed behind for unknown reasons no matter what Preston said.

The girl arguing with the intercom speaks just like her incredibly dead husband, so much so that when she involves them in a ruse and invites them to her place, Nora doesn't say a word.

•••

Nora spends time with Piper and Nick in turns, helping the locals and Trevor’s confidence (to the best of her ability,) and aggressively bonds with the reporter and the detective.

Nate does too, however, and shes not surprised when one day he says, “dibs on Piper.”

She is, however, enraged.

“Ow!” He yelps when she hits him.

Her rage doesn't calm as Nick stops his path up ahead to turn and look at them.

“You do not. Dibs. People,” she growls.

“I didn't mean it like that!” He defends, “I just meant I was gonna try soon, and I know you like her so-”

She hits him again. “My husband is dead!” She's not sure if she shouts.

Nick is at her side in a second and prys her out of Nate's personal space. “Everyone take a deep breath, this isn't a good place for this.”

She thinks that the street a minute from the gate to Diamond City is a perfectly acceptable place, but lets herself be dragged back.

“You should probably not share Home Plate tonight. Who wants the spare at my place? Or, I'll pay for a room at the Dugout.”

“I could stay with Piper-” Nate starts.

Nick doesn't look back as he walks her away, saying over his shoulder. “No one is staying with Piper tonight.”

•••

Nate does, in fact, start dating Piper.

•••

When she splatters Kellogg all over the room, she breaks down. She isn't sure if it's Nate or Nick she lets help her calm down. She doesn't ask.

•••

Nate doesn't talk about Piper to Nora, but he does to everyone else. He treats it like Piper is what upsets her and ignores how she's literally the girl’s best friend. She just reminds Nora too much of what was lost to feel anything different.

At the Third Rail she sees an opportunity to shove it in his face, that she's a big girl and knows what she can handle, and takes Magnolia to bed.

In the morning he's seething and the post-war world feels right again.

•••

MacCready is somehow more sticky-handed than Nora, but he’s genuine, and knows his limits. Every personal detail he decides to share she understands so well, and gives out the pieces of her story in equal share. They mourn together. She interrupts him thanking her again for Duncan by kissing him.

And if her over-eager announcement to their group of friends makes him hide his face in his hat, well, that's just her problem.

•••

She walks in on Nate and Piper and spends the next month traveling with Strong, smashing those weird feelings out on raider faces.

•••

One day, Nora snaps. “How come you'll leave me alone unless it comes to Shaun?! He's _my_ baby!”

Nate takes a step back, hands up. “You woke up to a dead world, watched your husband be murdered, your son taken. He's all you have left. Figured you didn't want to be alone.”

The honesty throws her. Nate had once denied putting his trash in her bin, even when she caught him.

She has to force her tone to be mad. “Maybe you should've asked.”

•••

“ _What are you doing_?” Nate hisses at her as Hancock goes to scope out ahead.

Nora looks around, unsure. “...Killing super mutants?”

He smacks her arm and she gapes at him. “How dare you-”

“Oh, shut up, you've hit me harder. I was talking about you and Hancock!”

“Well, sometimes I like to travel with people who aren't stupid melted popsicles.”

He growls. “Fuck off, Nora. You need to stop flirting with him. What about MacCready?”

Why she had ever let MacCready and Nate become friends was a mystery. She repeats her earlier statement. “How dare you, I would never cheat on him. He trusts me-- and the two of them are friends, dammit.”

His responding glare says he doesn't believe her.

She gets to her feet, hearing Hancock return. “Besides, we've talked about it.”

•••

Piper sighs. “I just wish I knew how to help him unwind.”

Nora skips the obvious dirty response and goes for a cleaner one. “Have Strong give him a massage. That'll really work those knots out.”

Piper's responding laugh is golden.

•••

Nora hadn't wanted to fight the raiders at the Combat Zone. At least... not at first. She wanted to watch and see what it all was, and spent a great deal of time talking Nate into watching first.

So, naturally, he pulls out his machine gun Holy Fire and attacks once they're through the door. Naturally he smirks at her, smug about upsetting her, and her stomach twists in what can only be rage.

He had ran over her mailbox once, claiming he didn't see the shiny metal on a sunny day. He wore that fake innocence again when the fight ended.

•••

Nora pats the spot beside her on the couch and MacCready sits, relaxing into her. “I just had the most fu-freaking awkward conversation of my life.”

She kisses his temple. “That’ll be fixed when Duncan’s older.”

He laughs airily, but then quiets. “Nate accused you of cheating on me.”

She tenses and grips his shoulder. “I _told_ him we talked about it.”

“He must’ve misunderstood what that meant. I had to explain our setup, and then I had to answer five hundred questions. Whose idea was it? How do I feel about it? How do you bring that up? Do you talk about each other’s crushes?”

She leans against his shoulder. “It was your idea.”

He shakes his head but not enough to disturb her. “No, this was all you.”

“You said, and I quote, ‘Are you going to keep ogling his ass or are you going to do something about it?’”

“Except you responded with ‘I’m just looking at the menu, not ordering.’”

“Hmm.” She hums. “It appears we joked our way into a poly relationship.”

He takes her hand in his. “Still don’t really understand that. ‘Round here, relationships are just relationships.”

Her chest tightens at the spring of thoughts that brings forth. “Sad it took the end of the world for people to figure that out.”

•••

“We’re going to play chicken,” Nora announces as she walks into the smoke room, carrying a box.

“Gay chicken?” Cait takes her cigarette out to ask, and thinks to herself, ‘of all games to survive.’

She shakes her head. “No. Pool chicken,” and upturns the box of Radaway and Rad-X onto the table.

She teams up with Strong. They win, of course.

•••

Nora glares at Nate as he hauls wood around Sanctuary to help build a shack, startled when Preston steps into her line of sight.

“What do you have against him?” He asks.

She remembers the day she painted the fence, working sunup to sundown, constantly having to stop to take care of Shaun. How it was going to be a surprise for her husband when he came home, after finally visiting with his parents.

How Nate came over and ruined his shirt with paint by leaning over as much fence as possible, acting surprised when it was still wet.

The car had pulled in as she was repainting what he ruined.

She steps around Preston and goes back to staring, grumbling. “He’s faking it, I know it.”

•••

Nate is awkward and fidgety the whole time they tear through the gunner’s hideout. The second she’s sure they’ve emptied the place, she squats down and starts looting, waving towards Nate offhandedly. “Out with it.”

“Can we talk privately?” His words run together and she pauses, hand in the gunner’s pocket.

“Well, I’m sure Tommy boy here won’t tell anyone.” She pats the dead gunner’s cheek with her free hand and Hancock snorts.

“Please.” Nate whines.

She groans. He’s never told her ‘please’ before.

“I’ll go double check that everything’s dead.” Hancock excuses himself and she glares daggers at his retreating back, the traitor.

Nate doesn’t speak again and she groans louder. “What do you want?”

“I’m sorry.” He fumbles the words, wringing his hands.

He doesn’t continue, and Nora resumes looting. The shotgun she takes off the gunner has ‘Tom’ scratched on its side. Son of a bitch.

“I shouldn’t have stuck my nose in your and MacCready’s business. And I should’ve believed you when I did. I was just worried, I mean MacCready is my friend, and I thought you’d do it again-” Nate winces as he cuts himself off.

“What do you mean do it again?” Nora’s words are slow, and she stops pulling at the gunner’s armor to look up at him.

He looks like a kid caught stealing from the cookie jar, but he steels himself and stands straight. “I saw you. Before the war. You left your curtains open, not much, but the angle from my house was enough to see inside. You and some other guy. I didn’t watch, but I saw enough.”

Nora feels sick. “What did they look like?”

There's this proud smugness settling in his eyes. Thinking he’s won something he’d always know he’d win. “Tall, blonde, had this long beard.”

She already remembers him: David Copper. That had happened when they first moved in. She stands shakily to her feet, the ammo she’d found dropping from her newly slack grip. “You must’ve only seen a second, because any more and you would’ve seen that that was a three person event.”

The victory drops from Nate’s face as if it was never there.

“You… You’ve hated me,” She steps over the bodies and nearly trips. “From the start, for something I never did.” She’s in his space now but he’s not moving away. Maybe he expects her to hit him again.

“You…” There's so much to say. She misses her husband so much. She loves him so much. “You need to go.”

He steps back. “I need to go.” And he does.

She says, “Hancock, you can stop eavesdropping now,” except she only gets as far as his name.

He’s there in an instant, pulling her tight against his chest. “Hey, hey, sunshine. You’re okay. Breath with me.”

She does her best to match his breathing but it feels like even her bones are shaking.

He kisses the crown of her head. “Want me to go shoot out his kneecaps?”

Laughing throws off her rhythm, and she has to start over again.

•••

“Howard!” Nora yells, marching towards Nate with fire in her eyes.

Nate's self preservation kicks in, and he turns on a dime and sprints away.

Cait leans against the wall next to a confused but amused Piper.

“Nate went into her room and took her last cherry Nuka-Cola.” She explains.

•••

Nora sneaks out of Sanctuary before the sun is up, timing it so she gets out as Nick and Codsworth switch shifts.

She climbs up to the vault, and finds a nice clear spot with a view of the town before she starts digging. By the time the hole is done, the sun is high and she knows people must have noticed her absence by now. She drops the shovel and finds some rocks, only the best, setting them into a stack at the head of the grave. She grabs the sheets she took with her and descends into Vault 111.

He’s exactly how she left him. Fuck Vault-Tec.

She doesn’t cry as she carries him out, but she can feel it press against her eyes and throat.

The elevator brings her back up and she's greeted by the sight of her new ragtag family waiting for her. Even Nate is standing in the back. It brings her to her knees and they all rush forward with shouts of concern. That’s what breaks the dam.

Hancock, MacCready, and Piper sit with her, watching Preston, Nate, Cait, and Strong lower his body down.

Hancock clears his throat awkwardly. “You uh, never told us his name.”

She leans further into the touch of them rubbing her back, her arms, her knee. The last time she said his name he was alive.

Piper clasps her hand in hers and looks her in the eye. “You don’t have to.”

She sits there a long time.

•••

When they meet Danse, Nora expects Nate to mock his militaristic voice to no end. He doesn’t do it once.

•••

“I know they said he’s cured now, walking and everything, but what if something’s still wrong? What if he doesn’t like me? Nora, Nora oh my god, what if he doesn’t remember me?” MacCready is pacing outside the door to Goodneighbor, near exploding from stress. They’re waiting on the caravan to finish its business with Daisy before taking him with them for a visit to Duncan.

She smiles at him, kicking off against the wall and stepping forward to smooth down his coat. “It’s going to be fine, Bobby. You said he writes you letters; how could he forget you?”

“They’re more drawings, really-” He stops when she puts a finger to his lips.

“You’re overthinking it,” she says.

“I’m overthinking it,” he repeats.

She grins and bumps their foreheads together. “You got this, hotshot.”

•••

Nora just wanted to gaze out her window, soak in the life that was Sanctuary while sipping cherry Nuka-Cola, when she spots Nate with carrot flowers behind his back.

For Piper, she thinks, and follows his path. She chokes when she sees that Preston is directly in Nate’s course. Taking a moment to calm down, she shakes her head. Piper is probably past him, yeah, obviously, what was she thinking. She looks past Preston and searches for that familiar newscap. Nearly misses Nate hesitate to step up to Preston and hold out the flowers. Preston struggle to hide his embarrassment. She isn’t aware her jaw has dropped until she feels the Nuka-Cola soak into her freshly cleaned shirt, dammit.

How did she miss that?!

•••

“Would you date Piper?” Nate asks.

They’re on route to (another) settlement. For the first time in a long time, it’s just them. They’ve camped for the night and it’s Nora’s shift.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,”

“Would you?”

There’s no jealousy, or anger, or anything she knew there would’ve been a few months ago.

“No,” It feels like a lie, but it is the truth. “They’re too alike. Wouldn’t be fair.”

Nate doesn’t answer, and whether he has enough brains to know what she’s talking about, she doesn’t know.

She glances at him and sighs. Of course he’s asleep.

“I hate you.” She says, possibly fond.

•••

“Big bad lackies coming in, hide.” Deacon states in the most casual voice, passing by them to disappear in the crowd.

Nora and Nate look at each other in a panic. They’re easy to recognize; she’s got a scar diagonal across her whole face from a mirelurk, he has a burn on his neck from trying to mod a flamer.

She does the first thing she can think of and goes to suck a hickey on his neck. Has to look real after all.

“What are-” She stops him with a bite, and he groans in a way she's never heard before.

She backs them up against the wall of the bar, into the dim light, and continues the assault on his neck. His hands flit up and down her arms, then her sides, unsure where to land. She breaks away to put them on her hips before returning to his neck.

Nora had learned a long time ago that no one had distinct tastes anymore, just dirt, salt, and (she suspects) a little radiation. Nate doesn’t have that taste; he’s cleaner in a way she isn't sure how to describe. Like the dirt and salt are only surface level. Does she taste like that? Maybe she should ask.

“Ah, the old Kiss’n’Hide, I’ve used that plenty of times. Great stories.” Deacon says from besides them, making them both jump.

“No you haven’t,” they say in sync.

Deacon just gives them finger guns and turns on his heel. “C’mon, this way. Coast is clear.”

She forgets to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

•••

“WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST MY HEDGES!?” Nora is storming after Nate, who’s stomping down the street.

He whirls around and throws his hands out. “THEY’RE UGLY! THERE! I SAID IT! NORA, YOUR HEDGES ARE UGLY!”

She gapes at him and goes to swat his arm, which he side steps. “AT LEAST THEY’RE DURABLE! TELL ME, WHERE'S YOUR APPLE TREE NOW NATE?!”

“YOU _BITCH_.”

“At least they’re communicating.” Nick comments.

•••

Nora is pouring Nuka-Cola out of a teapot, refilling Curie’s, Cait’s, Piper’s, and Mr. Jangles the Moon Mokey’s tea cups.

“So,” she begins. “Nate and Preston are finally together?” She shoots a glance at Piper.

Piper dramatically sets down her cup and broken saucer, pinky in the air. Her face says _gurl, you’re not gonna believe this_.

“Do I have a tale for you ladies. It took him three days to even bring it up.”

They all lean forward for more, Cait helping Mr. Jangles.

•••

Someone is knocking on Nora’s door at bumfuck in the morning, and they won’t stop.

“Fuck off.” She moans and rolls back into the pillow.

The knocking continues.

She gathers all her willpower and crawls out from between her boys. “This better be so fucking important, because I don’t hear gunfire, which means no one is dying.”

She opens the door to find Nate standing on the doorstep with a vase of Hubflowers.

“What?”

He thrusts them into her hands. “The world started over, and we didn’t. I want to, I think we could be friends.”

“Tell him no.” Hancock says.

MacCready murmurs in agreement. “S’too late for this, he’s clearly evil.”

Nate looks between the two men, clearly startled. “I thought you two weren’t together.”

“We’re not.” Hancock answers, propping himself up.

“It’s compromise day.” Nora explains. “They both get me three days of the week, then we alternate between sharing on the seventh or letting me have it to myself.”

“But,” Nate’s eyes aren't exactly flickering from man to man, but from bare chest to bare chest.

“We have pants on.” MacCready says, eyes closed.

“Oh.” Nate says, then, “how do you all fit in there?”

“We don’t. Normally one of us has fallen out by now. This is a miracle and you’ve ruined it.” Hancock says, then yawns and gets out of bed. “If I’m up I might as well get a smoke in, I’ll be right back.”

“Noooo, now it’s cold.” MacCready complains, barely awake.

“Too late.” Hancock kisses Nora on the head as he passes and walks out of the room.

She remembers she’s still holding the flowers and quickly sets them down. “Okay, so this might be my sleep deprived brain talking, but, sure, let’s start over.” She holds up a finger as he beams. “But, why did this have to happen at one in the morning?”

“Uh, it’s actually three.”

“Nate. That makes it worse.”

He rubs at his neck sheepishly. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah, but I was.”

“Guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ve caught on. The flowers are a nice thought, but they’re not going to last.”

“Yeah I figured you’d use them up, you’re like that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean-- oh, back already?” Nora gets another passing peck from Hancock. “Careful, he’s asleep again.”

“Yeah yeah.” He waves her off as he climbs in. “Just had one, was cold as balls out there.”

As Hancock settles down, MacCready rolls over and falls right off the bed. They all stare as he continues to sleep. Nora and Nick then glance up to Hancock.

Hancock points to Nick and Nora’s eyes follow. “I told you. Look what you’ve done. This is your fault.”

Nate apologizes as he helps Nora lift MacCready back into bed, and lets them go back to sleep.

•••

It’s Nate’s turn to cook, and everyone won’t stop complimenting his cooking. As they sit around the fire and drool over their radstag, Nora thinks of the neighborhood barbecue. Nate’s burgers had outdone everything else that was cooked, and she was convinced he’d cheated, with hidden spice or something.

Well-- she _had_ been.

•••

Nora has her head in her hands, and Nate is bouncing with excitement.

“Gay chicken.” She mutters. “Gay chicken survives but not spin the bottle.”

“Yeah, yeah, you're Nora and you don't know what fun is. Everyone in a circle!”. Nate ignores her protesting “hey!”

Their friends catch on fast, and it's not as awkward as she thought it would be. There's some laughter when Nate gets Piper, and Hancock gets Nora. It’s good natured and some of them opt for hugs instead.

It’s enjoyable enough that getting to kiss Piper is just a bonus.

•••

“Nail,” Nora says, sticking her hand down.

She’s currently standing on a rickety stack of boxes, putting a connector up. The wire is already attached, because fuck wires, and it’s stretched as far as it can go.

“Sh-shoot.” MacCready says, gazing down into the nail bucket.

“What?” Nate looks in the bucket. “Oh. Uh…”

Nora throws her head back. “If we’re out of nails just say we’re out of nails.”

“We’re out of nails.” They say.

“Then go get nails!” She gives them the most fed up look.

MacCready drops the bucket, starts to jog off, comes back, grabs the bucket, and jogs off again.

“Men.” She mutters to herself.

Her arms are starting to shake from holding the connector above her head. Probably should’ve taken a break earlier. She tries to shift for a better angle, but the boxes don’t agree with that and fall.

Nate, instead of steading the boxes or catching her, get his arms around her legs and just… holds her up.

“Nate.”

“Yeah?”

“How the fuck.”

“I work out?” There's a hopeful lift to the end of his sentence, but she can already feel his arms trembling.

“You want to put me down, don’t you?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Nate Howard, if you put me down, this wire will rip from the connector and we will have to start over. We are not starting over.”

MacCready comes back just then, and tilts his head at the sight. He doesn’t move until they both yell at him to ‘hurry and put the fucking boxes back.’

•••

A feral is coming at Nate from behind, and while Nora knows he’s handled worse, has seen him handle worse, she still shoots it down before it gets within arm’s reach.

Nate turns and sees the downed feral, and gives Nora a look she can’t read.

•••

“Nora, can I talk to you?” Piper catches her working on a generator one afternoon.

Nora pulls herself free of the inner workings of the machine to get a better look at her. “Of course, what’s on your mind?”

Piper turns her head away but stays in place, looking ready to run. Nora gets off her knees and wipes her hands off her pants, stepping closer.

“Are you okay Pipes?”

Piper looks back to her, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I don’t, uh, know how to bring this up. You have a, um, a relationship arrangement?”

Nora nods. “Yeah, why? Do you need advice? Did something happen with Nate and Preston?”

“No, no.” Piper shakes her head. “They’re fine. I was, I was gonna ask about how yours works.”

Piper can’t keep eye contact, she’s so nervous, and flushed--

Oh.

“Why?” She says it careful, like Piper is a radstag doe about to run.

“I was, um, wondering how you involved new people…”

Nora studies her. She’d been avoiding thinking about it, if she was honest with herself. Afraid she’d use her as a replacement, and would lead them down a path that would only hurt.

But this was Piper. Piper, who reminds her of her husband, but is still her own person, who has a separate personality and thoughts and wants, who she holds so close to her heart. She’s scared of hurting her, but what would not trying accomplish?

“N-Nora? You still with me?” Piper’s voice is unsure, and Nora feels bad for slipping so far into her own head.

She steps closer and takes up Piper’s hands. “We just ask. And I’ll ask, if that’s what you want.”

Piper pulls her hands up, and Nora lets go, thinking she misread the situation, but Piper grabs them again.

“I-I do-- want that. And I’ve talked to Nate already.” Piper stumbles through her words, but the look on her face makes Nora feel like it’ll work out fine.

•••

Nora stands on the beach of the recently-mirelurk-free island, gazing at the Brotherhood’s blimp.

“From this spot... couple of mini-nukes.” Nate says besides her, miming using the Fat Man.

“Danse isn’t on board.” She points out.

Nate purses his lips. “Hm, interesting.”

•••

“Can I limit you to three partners?” Hancock asks, her head in his lap as they relax near the river.

She hums, content as he runs his hand through her hair. “Why, getting jealous?”

“Nah, that one’s not on my list of reasons. I know I’m your favorite.” She sticks her tongue out at him and he smirks.

“What’s on this list of yours?” She asks.

“First off, compromise day would be hell. Five people will not fit in your bed, and trying could kill someone.”

“I’ll get a bigger bed.”

“They don’t make bigger beds anymore, Sunshine.”

She rolls her eyes into her head, and re-adjusts her head for a more comfortable position.

“Second,” Hancock continues. “Six does not divide between four. The schedule of who-gets-Nora-when would be chaos. A trade-off schedule longer than seven days throws compromise day out of whack.”

She pretends to consider this. “Go on.”

“Third, the previous two points don’t mean shit. You’re your own damn person, and I ain’t gonna stop you from going after what you want. I’m fated to die on the bottom of a pile of five sleeping people.” He waves his hand dramatically, then places it over his heart, and she giggles.

“There are worse ways to die.” Nora says.

Hancock shrugs. “It’ll be a hell of an embarrassing funeral.”

There's a beat; then, “Thank you,” she says sincerely.

He kisses the tip of her nose in response.

•••

Preston always takes morning guard shift, and Nate always brings him breakfast.

•••

“Dick.” Nora greets Nate, no malice in her voice.

“Asshole.” He returns the pleasant greeting.

•••

Nora and Nate are standing in knee deep water, building a water purifier for yet another settlement. Nate pauses and Nora can feel the incoming conversation.

“God, do we have to do this here, now?” She complains, which startles him.

“H-how did you know I wanted to talk?” He stutters.

“When you’re nervous, you slow down, and basically ooze uncertainty.”

He frowns, then shakes his head. “Listen, about before, when I saw… you know. I think I held it against you so harshly because I was jealous.”

“That I was getting laid?” She jokes.

“Nora…” He whines.

She stops herself from laughing and motions for him to continue.

He sighs. “It's just, you had this happy family, healthy baby, everything going right, and I thought you were fucking it up.”

Nate had lived alone, long before they had moved in. She reaches over and rests her hand on his arm. “It’s okay, we’ve started over, remember?” She gives him an easy smile, and he returns it.

•••

“This is a disaster,” Nora paces in front of the couch all her partners are currently seated on. “This is absolutely the worst.”

“Why is this terrible?” MacCready asks.

Nora throws her arms out. “He’s my enemy! My rival, my nemesis!”

“You cried over the loss of raccoons with your nemesis last week,” Hancock reminds her.

“Because raccoons deserve to be mourned,” She points a threatening finger at him. “I can’t be his friend, be close to him, he’s a dick!”

Piper bites her lip, pointing with her thumbs at the two guys on either side of her. “Well, example A and B here is proof you like dicks.”

“Hey.” MacCready and Hancock say together.

•••

“He’s gonna fall,” Cait says, watching Sturges patch a hole in the roof.

“Oh yeah.” Nora agrees.

“Definitely.” Preston nods.

Nate, on his way to lunch, walks underneath Sturges as Sturges turns around to yell, “I’M NOT GOING TO FALL.” Which throws him off balance, and he falls, cushioned by Nate.

“I enjoyed that.” Cait admits as Preston goes to check on them.

“Me too.” Nora says.

•••

Preston finds Nate and Nora sitting on top of a train car that’s absolutely surrounded by ferals, eating iguana on a stick.

Once he and his group have taken out the ferals, he helps them both down and points to some spare clothes they had laid on the car like a blanket. “What were you doing?”

Nate shrugs as Nora answers. “We figured it’d take you awhile to show, so we were like, hell, let’s have a picnic.”

“What happened to your ammo?” He asks.

“Nate dropped it in the lake.”

Nate jumps to defend himself. “I--!”

“…“Yeah, no. I fucked up. I fucked up bad.”

•••

Nate offers to deal with Shaun himself, but it’s her call.

She declines.

•••

“Oil,” Nora says, holding her hand behind her for Nate. She's repairing a turret that had been a little too close to a few frag grenades.  
Nate fumbles with the can and takes his time handing it over.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She was still unused to being nice to him, offering real support.

“Ilikeyou.” He blurts.

Nora stills, her back is to him. Is he fucking with her? She slowly turns and, no, he's not fucking with her. Eyes down, face red, endlessly twisting his hands together.  
“...Since when?” She sets the oil can down and faces him.

He rubs the back of his neck. “Since the Slog…”

The Slog. That was a little after he told her to stop flirting with Hancock. That was six months ago.

He can tell she's done the math and rushes to speaks again. “I wasn't going to do anything about it, I didn't want to be a homewrecker. Then I didn't know if you were content with two people, but Piper came to me and it worked out and I couldn't keep this to myself anymore.” He takes a deep breath, looking at her now. Eyes wide and hopeful.

She blinks once. “Anything else?”

“I was gonna be forced to sleep on the couch if I didn't talk to you today.”

She doesn't need to ask to know that Piper said that.

“You're not fucking with me?” She asks.

He rapidly shakes his head. “No, not now.”

She rocks back on her feet to properly sit down, closing her eyes. She hadn't thought about Nate like that… well, besides that one time when Deacon said hide. But that was situational and she had almost forgotten it. Yet it was so nice…

She opens her eyes to see Nate's hopeful ones gazing back.

“I need to think about it,” she says. It's the best she can do for now.

•••

Nora keeps finding fresh hubflowers on the chemistry table.

•••

“Things are getting intense.” Nick says as he smokes with Nora, days away from attacking the Institute. “If you've got something to tell anyone, I'd do it soon.”

Nora feels her heart jump in her throat.

•••

“I remember,” Nora starts, and MacCready turns to listen. “I bought this rose bush, and planted it in the front yard. Two days later, there's suddenly four in Nate's.”

She swallows down the lump in her throat and he waits.

“That was such a big deal back then, and now… I wish it was that simple again.”

He simply kisses her hand.

•••

Nora takes Nate's hand without looking. “If we get out of this alive, it's a yes.”

“It's a yes? Yes for wh-- oh.” She can feel Nate's eyes on her. “Oh. Really?”

She squeezes his hand. “Really.”

•••

They get out alive, of course.

•••

“Compromise day is so fucked,” is the only thing Hancock has to says about it.

Nora promises not to let him die by sleeping humans, not after all the other bullshit they’ve been through.

•••

“You two look like a couple on the cover of a well preserved magazine.” Piper says, gesturing toward Nate and Nora cuddled on the couch.

She may have a point, as they're both wearing old clothes they'd cleaned the absolute shit out of. Nora's mirelurk scar had faded slightly, enough to not see it at a distance.

“It is uncanny.” Preston agrees, giving them a look over.

“What, is that weird? Are you uncomfortable Preston? Has the fact you’re dating a 200 year old man finally sunk in?” She waggles her eyebrows and he stands.

“What's that I hear, Minutemen duties? Looks like I have to go.”

They laugh as he leaves, and Nora rests her head on Nate's shoulder. The last pre-war humans, being together. It sounds like the end of every apocalyptic book she's read.

“What's so funny?” Nate asks, and she tries to stifle her giggles.

“Nothing.” She replies, and snuggles closer to his side.

Nate may have been a terrible neighbor, but he wasn't a half bad boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> AO3 is a lier, google docs says this is 6036 words


End file.
